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The Medical Training Initiative (MTI) scheme allows international doctors to come to the UK to train within the National Health Service (NHS).
Suitably qualified International Medical Graduate doctors (IMG) can receive a maximum of two years training and development in the NHS. The knowledge, skills and techniques learned in that time can be used to improve patient care in their home country on their return.
The scheme’s primary purpose is to improve the quality of healthcare in lower-income countries by sharing knowledge, experience and best practice that benefits:
- The IMG doctor, who gets training and development in the NHS
- The IMG’s home country, to which they return with knowledge, skills and experience
- And the NHS, which has spare training capacity filled by suitable graduate doctors.
Doctors on the MTI scheme receive core and/or specialty medical training to the same standards as UK national trainees. The training is supervised by fully qualified NHS medical consultants.
MTI can cover almost any medical post provided it will deliver training and education that will benefit IMGs on their return home. Where possible, training programmes are tailored to the doctor’s educational objectives and will be considerate of the type of work they will do on returning home.
In addition to receiving up to two years specialised medical training, doctors on the MTI scheme might attend workshops and seminars, gain fellowship to their relevant medical royal college and in some instances, sit their Medical Royal College Part 2 examination.
The MTI scheme does not compete with UK medical training opportunities. Instead, it makes use of undersubscribed medical specialty placements in the UK. This allows suitable international doctors to train and work in placements they might not get in their home country, while also filling under-subscribed placements in employing organisations.
The MTI scheme has helped build strong relationships between NHS Trusts, foreign institutions and medical graduates as part of the commitment to global health.
